Speakers

Jean Bosco Niyonzima

PhD Student

Université libre de Bruxelles (Free University of Brussels)

Jean Bosco Niyonzima is a PhD student at Université Libre de Bruxelles (From october 2015) in the department of Aero-Thermo-Mechanics (ATM), where he is awarded the Master’s Degree in Master of science in electro-mechanical engineering in the option of energy (September 2014). He is working on a type of small hydro turbine named Banki-Mitchell, which is a typical application of the Cross-flow turbine in the small hydroelectricity. The main goal of his study is to model and make several tests of that turbine which can be used in the same conditions in the rural areas of the Kayanza province in Burundi.

ABSTRACT

SESSION 22: The Impact of World Oil Peak on the Technological Advancements in the Energy Sector

Oil is utilized in many sectors such as transport, electricity production and heating which make it very expensive. World consumption data shows that the demand of oil is increasing remarkably day per day (data Aspo.fr) while oil reserves are limited. Indeed, the rate at which resources of oil are exploited is greater than the rate of new discoveries. In addition, the increased demand of oil impacted the price of oil. For instance, the oil crisis in the 1970s is an illustrative example that shows how the demand of oil impacted on the oil market.

The idea of the peak oil was unknown before the theory published by Hubbert (1956), a geologist who worked at the Shell Research Lab in Houston (Texas). According to Hubbert (1956), any finite resource such as oil, gas, coal or uranium, the production follows the bell shaped curve. However, the rate of the peak production depends on the existing and discovered reserves.

Indeed, my presentation will focus on the context of the world peak oil. In this part, I will talk about the conventional and non-conventional hydrocarbons, the proven resources of oil, the world production and consumption. Note that after the peak oil, the production will decline and the prices of oil will increase which will stimulate several innovations in the energy sector such as, the energy efficiency, speed up of exploration and research & development on new sources of energy for example the non-conventional oil and renewable sources in order to diversify sources of energy supply.